Teams ‘equally matched’ in championship battle,
says Ashland’s Coach Belskis
By Don Eno
Sports Reporter
ASHLAND, Maine — Going into the Class D North championship game, the top-seeded Ashland Hornets had a 16-0 season and home-field advantage on their side. In the end, the girls soccer squad needed every bit of that last Wednesday to pull out a 3-2 victory over the visiting Madawaska Owls.
“It was a pretty intense game,” Ashland coach Peter Belskis said after the game. “These were two equally matched teams.”
Madawaska coach Tom Gerard agreed, and he described Wednesday’s match as “the game of the year.”
“We did everything we could do,” Gerard said. “None of our players gave up.”
The No. 3 Owls (13-5) needed grit, as the Hornets scored at the 27:30 mark when junior forward Mackenzie Carter netted a goal on an assist from sophomore Olivia Tardie.
Although Madawaska controlled the ball and had it in Ashland’s side of the field for much of the first half, Ashland was able to muster effective counterattacks. With a little more than two minutes left, Ashland junior Morgan Doughty drove a ball high into the near corner of the net, out of the reach of Madawaska goalkeeper Desiree Belanger.
Down by two goals, the Owls did not cave in and continued to press the Hornets. That paid off with 1:29 remaining in the half, when Brianne Thibeau scored unassisted on a ball that deflected off a defender.
The second half opened with cheers from fans that filled the bleachers, and with pressure from Ashland’s fast-break offense. Belanger and Madawaska’s defense had to scramble multiple times in front of the net to prevent a goal.
Seeming to have lost some of the hustle that earmarked their first half, Madawaska players were on their heels for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Even when Hornets junior keeper Megan Cote bobbled a save, there were no Owls in the box to capitalize.
Finally, at the 30-minute mark, Madawaska forced the offense, resulting in corner kicks and set shots, but no goals.
At 19:23, Doughty chipped a free kick from just outside the box over the wall of defenders and Belanger’s fingertips, putting Ashland up 3-1.
Madawaska kept hustling and winning balls. Near chances from throw-ins and corner kicks, along with quality saves from Cote, kept Ashland ahead by two.
Madawaska was finally able to find a crack against Ashland, when Thibeau once again scored at 12:23. A free kick from nearly midfield led to a scramble and a deflected ball, which Thibeau put in the back of the net.
Madawaska players forced the issue and kept the Ashland counterattack from putting the game further out of reach.
“It was definitely a wild game,” said Ashland senior captain Gabbie Wortman. “It was not handed to us.”
That appreciation of a competitive game was echoed by teammate and senior captain Cassidy Pelletier.
“I would not have had it any other way. I love these kinds of games,” she said.
“They showed great heart staying in the game,” Belskis said of the Madawaska players. “We just made one or two more plays than them. Either team could have gone on to win the state championship.”
